Holiday fun in a pandemic! (But first, how to make a pinata)
I’ve heard a lot of grownups talking about the holidays this year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas), and how sad it is for the children to miss out. I get it. It will be different. I’m here to say, turn that frown UPSIDE DOWN! This holiday season is going to be the BEST!
I have ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, which can be adapted to any holiday, birthday, or really any day of the year. One of my favorite things to do for a special activity is to make a pinata. Growing up, we always had a homemade pinata at Halloween. When I was a preschool teacher in the classroom, I made pinatas with the children three times a year. I estimate I’ve made about 45 pinatas in my life! Here’s how to make one; it takes about a week, start to finish. Read all directions first so you can see how it goes.
Materials:
Giant balloon (get a few, in case they pop)
Hand held balloon pump (available online for less than $10)
Newspaper
Flour
Glue
Piece of cardboard, approximately 12 X 12 (it will be cut down to size)
Box for setting the finished pinata in to dry
Scissors
Tempera paint
Tissue paper (optional)
Rope (for holding up the pinata)
Bowl for putting the papier mache in
Big spoon for mixing the papier mache
Damp towels for wiping hands
Treats and toys for inside the pinata
Instructions:
Blow up a giant balloon and tie it off (having a balloon air pump works wonders).
Cover your table with newspaper, a sheet, or something that can get messy. Tie hair up and get your smocks out—this stuff gets everywhere! If you don’t have a smock, an adult tee shirt works.
Make the paper mache: mix flour, water, and a little bit of glue. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. Rip strips of newspaper. Dip the newspaper strip into the wet solution, then put on the balloon. Cover the whole balloon, leaving a space where the knot (belly button) is; this will be the top of the pinata. Then cover the balloon with dry strips. One more layer of wet, one more layer of dry, and you’re done! Set it in a box, but make sure the bottom of the pinata isn’t touching the bottom of the box, or else it will stick. It does stick to the sides of the box a little bit. Let it dry for a day or two, rotating it several times.
When it’s dry, paint it! You can use holiday colors, or whatever colors you want. If you want the colors to stand out, paint one color, then let it dry before putting the next color on. If you want a brown acorn pinata, use all the colors at the same time! To make it extra fancy, cut out squares or strips of tissue paper to decorate with after the paint has dried. I’ve never tried it, but I think a white pinata with different colored blue and silver tissue paper would be beautiful in the winter. Orange paint with black tissue paper? Red, green, and gold? Whatever strikes your fancy. Note that it’s really the grownups and older kids who have ideas about what the pinata will look like. If you’re working with preschoolers, just let them do what they want. A pinata is beautiful, no matter what.
The next step is to deflate the balloon. Stick a pin in the balloon, and listen to it shrink away from the pinata. So cool! Cut a hole, about the size of a baseball, to start with, where the knot of the balloon was. The next part is tricky. You’ll need a piece of cardboard that is thick, but can be folded. Put a rope in the middle of the cardboard, and make a knot. This will make sense later.
When the children are sleeping, fill the pinata with with candy, small toys, and stickers. Since it’s just for your family, go all out! Socks! Little notebooks! If there will be a few kids, you can make bags of things; each kid gets a bag. Or leave it free form, and share. Then take the cardboard with the rope in it and fold it so that it goes into the hole of the pinata, then adjust it so that it will flatten on the inside top of the pinata (imagine putting a closed umbrella into a hole, then opening the umbrella). Hang the pinata somewhere where the children will be able to see it, but not touch it. It can be moved to outside or wherever you’re going to smash it later. You might have to cut the hole bigger for the cardboard to fit in, and you might have to trim the cardboard to fit in the balloon. You’ll know what will work once you see the dried pinata. I like the idea of a Pinata Fairy. She (or he, or they) comes at night and fills the pinata. With what? Who knows? We’ll have to bust it open to find out!
When it comes time to bust the pinata open, a small plastic bat works well. Try that, or use a big stick. Little kids can get freaked out by being blindfolded and turned around, so I’ve always done it with eyes open, no turning, just go for it. Each family member gets a turn, youngest to oldest. Older people can wait until the younger ones have had a turn before going all out.
Enjoy! Halloween ideas coming soon…